So what made the most stubborn person ever known in my world to take this small step.Most hoarders are in the habit due to anxiety and if you tell them what to do they get very are very defensive and in my dads case argumentative even when there is no logic behind their reasoning.
Without divulging too much into the conversation that lead to this momentous occasion of operation "declutter house" let me point out that my dad's clutter of books began appoximately 30 years ago.He believes he has hayfever and so will take a antihistamine tablet when ploughing (not reading) through his "library" as this always ends in a sneezathon.With extremely high pollen count in the last few days i have been a right state-gritty blodshot eyes and sandpaper throat,this was the catalyst needed to get some perspective. Converation with my west midlands accent and
me: So dad howz your hayfever these dayz?
DAD: ok nothing wrong.
me:hmm the pollen count is reaaaalllly high, maybe its your books that causes the sneezing.
(quiet long pause) look at my face
i then calmly suggested that the books caused a lot of dustmites and were affecting his and everyone else's health. Instantly he got defensive and said and so follows the gist of uour conversation:
- Stating not suggesting throwing all the books away just the ones that were not used by anyone and dated for example a book entitled "bed and breakfasts in Ireland 1996",
- how you have to lose some old things to make room for new,
- explained how half the information is available on the internet. To which he replied internet takes up electricity books don't (secretly i though they consume trees).
- stressed was not arguing just making it easier for everyone.
- Even sharing the story of a pile of books falling down the stairs in the middle of the night and having to wake up and put them back.
- A lot of books are sold cheap i even saw a store with £1 books
- Would not make a profit from selling books on the web especially if not selling for much and then various fees and time consuming.
- he suggests a car boot i explain you probably wouldn't even make 20p and that soem of the books shoudl be in a museum. :
- Suggest giving books to charity shop a good deed
- Stated ho even colleges and universities send thick textbooks to refuse/ecycle -seen with my own eyes.
- He said he had seen lecturers/professors sell books at car boot sales, yes they sell them because even they are rejecting those outdated books!
- I pointed out how he used to say English and Histoy were useless for jobs so asked why on earth was he keeping poetry books -in English (as it's not his first language and doesn't get it)
